Air cleaner assemblies for filtering air and the like are known. Generally, these conventional electric air cleaners, which are designed to filter and ionize air in individual rooms or spaces within a house, are small portable units that sit on a floor or on a surface. These conventional units generally have a standard length power cord which is plugged into a receptacle to provide power for the unit. However, such conventional air cleaners take up floor space or counter space. Additionally, when positioned on the floor, they are prone to numerous safety hazards from children and pets. Furthermore, with these floor positioned units, even adults may accidently trip and fall over these devices. Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide an air cleaner which would save floor space or counter space, that is safe when used around children, pets and adults and that is unobtrusive and blends in with the surrounding area.
Accordingly, many attempts have been made to overcome the problems associated with the use of air cleaner assemblies. However, prior art air cleaning apparatuses have suffered from a variety of drawbacks and deficiencies.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,042 to Pelonis discloses an air treatment apparatus utilizing interchangeable cartridges. Each cartridge has an apertured support structure and an air treatment element that alters a particular characteristic of an air flow through the cartridge. However, this reference has the same drawbacks mentioned above. Specifically, it requires a power cord extending to an A.C. receptacle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,422 to Streich et al. Discloses a heater assembly supported by an electrical receptacle mounted in a wall. However, this reference does not teach or disclose a wall mounted air filter having a filtering means for filtering air. Moreover, this reference does not teach or suggest an ionization means disposed within the housing for removing positively charged ions and from the filtered air.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,482 to Davis, discloses a portable room air purifier having replaceable air filters which are mounted to receive incoming air which is drawn therethrough by a centrifugal fan. However, this reference does not teach or disclose a wall mounted air filter having a filtering means for filtering air. Moreover, this reference does not teach or suggest an ionization means disposed within the housing for removing positively charged ions into the filtered air.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,142 to Glucksman discloses an electric forced-convection air heater having an axial fan and a cage-shaped resistance heating element mounted up-stream of the fan impeller. Again, this reference does not teach or disclose a wall mounted air filter having a filtering means for filtering air as well as an ionization means disposed within the housing for removing positively charged ions into the filtered air.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,967 to Steinitz discloses an electronic air purifying method and apparatus whereby the air to be purified is introduced into the apparatus wherein oxygen molecules of air are first transformed into the allotropic form of oxygen by a low pressure mercury ultra violet radiating device and then decomposed to nascent oxygen by heat. Again, this reference suffers from the same drawbacks mentioned before. In particular, the device requires an electrical cord. As well, the device is not configured to be compact and takes up large amounts of floor or counter space.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,422,263 to Asahina discloses an ionized air producing device. However, Asahina's device does not teach or suggest a compact system and also suffers from the same drawbacks noted above.